The Skoda Yeti was launched in India at a price of Rs. 15.40 - 16.62 Lakhs (ex-Delhi).

What you'll like:

• Premium, solid build quality, inside and out
• Smooth and responsive diesel engine
• Compact enough for the city. Easy to drive
• Sedan like handling and road behavior at high speed
• A host of electronics and features on the Elegance version
• Safety: ABS, EBD, Hill-hold, TCS, ESP, 6-airbags, active head restraints and 3-point seatbelts for all passengers

What you won't:

• Quirky looking from some angles, might not be to everyone's tastes
• Firm low-speed ride quality
• Cramped rear seat when seating more than 4 in the Yeti
• No Auto or DSG transmission currently offered on the Indian Yeti
• Skoda’s after-sales horror stories

For many years, Skoda has enjoyed a leadership position in the diesel 10 – 20 lakh segment. First with the Octavia, then with the Laura. In recent times however, the Octavia has been discontinued and Skoda’s sole offering in the 13 to 18 lakh segment – the Laura – has been continuously outsold by the Cruze (diesel) & the Corolla Altis (petrol & diesel). It's possible that the Superb’s astounding success (Link : The 20 lakh rupee game changers) convinced Skoda that in the premium segment, product differentiation is key and mainstream is boring. Enter the Yeti.

Simply put, the Yeti has no direct competition and brings something unique to the 15-17 lakh rupee segment. Sure, there is the Grand Vitara, but it lacks a diesel engine & the premium experience expected for a tall rupee. The CRV would have been the closest in terms of product positioning, but the lack of a diesel option and Honda’s ever-rising pricing have removed it from the game. Hyundai’s Tucson (an excellent soft-roader with poor product management) is long gone. Tata’s recently launched Aria comes close, but other than drivetrain similarities on paper they appeal to fairly different buyers. The Yeti is a proper “yuppie mobile” and is more likely to be cross-shopped with premium sedans in urban India. The Yeti isn’t quite an alternative to the Endeavour & Fortuner, (it just doesn’t have the same macho and imposing SUV image) but instead is more of an alternative to cars like the Cruze, Altis, Civic and the Laura.

Priced at 15.40 Lakh (ex-Delhi) for the Ambiente, and 16.62 for the Elegance, it slots in about a lakh above the Aria (as well as its platform sharing sibling, the Laura), and 2+ lakhs below the Captiva. Note that ex-Maharashtra prices will be lower (14.98L & 16.18L), since the CKD Yeti is put together in Skoda’s Aurangabad plant.

The first thing you notice when you see the Yeti in person is that it definitely looks smaller than pictures would suggest. With its 180 mm ground clearance, it is more like a tall-boy station-wagon than a shrunk-down SUV. At 4223 mm, its length is even shorter than most C segment sedans (60 mm shorter than the Ford Fiesta)! At 1691 mm in height, lose the roof rails, and it’s about as tall as a Nano! If you’re a person who equates price with size, look elsewhere.

On the outside, the roof-rails and the mix of shiny black pillars, rough matte black bumpers and silver cladding on the front and rear bumpers give the Yeti a bit of a toy-like feel. The large black rear bumper gives the car a bit of a downmarket “non-body-coloured bumper” look. The Ambiente (lower) and Elegance (higher) variants are virtually identical on the outside, save for the front parking sensors and different alloy wheel design. Our review focuses on the Elegance, as that will probably be the more popular variant of the two.

The design and styling of the Yeti seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Head-on, the face is muscular with large round fog-lamps staring at you over touches of chrome on the grill and an emphasized chin (No Xenons though!). The tail end is fairly squared out with nicely rounded corners. However, once you reach the 3/4th or side view, that’s where things begin to get a bit quirky. The large front windshield and the long low snout catch your eye. The B-pillar especially adds an abominable touch to the Yeti. It’s the sore thumb of the exterior styling by far, breaking away from straightforward lines into arbitrary curves that leave you wondering why. Add to that, the B-pillar has been further emphasized as the only body-coloured pillar, as all the others have been covered in shiny black cladding. Buying the Yeti in black might be a good workaround for this quirkiness. The roof is also slightly domed, as can be visible from some angles.

Handsome front end

Body-coloured rear bumper missing even on the top-end Elegance variant

Notice the large gap between the wheel & its arch. Aids long travel suspension & articulation

The black plastic cladding on the lower edges prevents scrapes and dirt from damaging the body panels

Large front windshield, low snout and domed roof take a little getting used to from some angles

Boxy styling at the rear

Roof racks not only add greatly to the styling, but might even come in handy for those active outdoor users

Rear wash and wipe can be set to activate along with the rain sensing wipers

Twin tail-pipes

The odd-one-out body coloured B-pillar, which curves into the window sills

Large front fog lamps have a second bulb that functions as the DRLs. Notice the "Yeti" monogram on the headlight

Threaded hole for an attachable tow-hook on the rear bumper

215/60 R16 Goodyears on the 7-spoke alloys. The Ambiente gets a different 5-spoke design

If you're still unsure about how big the Yeti is, this should clear up your doubts

Hop into the cabin and you feel like you’re sitting in a highly perched sedan. Interior width is in between the Fabia and the Laura. The seats are firm, but very well sculpted and supportive. Large wings flare out on both sides for great lateral support. Both the front seats are height adjustable, offer adjustable lumbar support and have variable height seat-belts too. Electric adjustments are absent, and a dial type recline adjustment means your driver might get a nice arm workout before he can take a snooze.

Head-room is plentiful, visibility is all around great and the long travel seat height adjustment and rake + reach adjustable steering would even keep Danny Devito happy in the driver’s seat. The instrument cluster is a classy black with white backlit notations and chrome dial surrounds. The crystal clear MID can show the usual; travel time, real-time fuel economy, average fuel economy, remaining fuel tank range, two trip meters, average speed, real-time digital speedo, service interval, and what audio is playing. It can also control a host of the Yeti’s features – but more on that later.

The lack of an automatic or much-loved DSG transmission could be a major sore point in the eyes of prospective Yeti owners, as premium buyers are more and more keen to leave their left leg idle these days due to the ever increasing traffic in urban India. In fact, an i10 owner even expressed her surprise at the lack of an AT option (and that a sunroof wasn’t on the features list!). The automatic transmission Yeti has been launched in some international markets earlier this year. If all goes well we’d hope to see it on the Indian Yeti some time in 2011. The slick and smooth 6-speed manual will have to do for now.

Interior quality is equivalent to the 30 lakh rupee Germans. Everything in the interior has a high-quality and solid feel to it. There isn’t a single rough edge, ugly parting line or hint of poor craftsmanship. The dash top is soft-touch, every button feels good to use, the soft door armrests, the rich texture of the roof lining, the rubber lined cubby holes….Even the horn boss pad has a soft feel to it. There’s tons of storage space with an armrest storage compartment, a dash-top covered tray, an in-dash cubby hole, an under-seat tray and a series of 3 fused together cup holders that will most likely be home to your cell phone, since even a 500 ml bottle can’t really fit in them. All windows have one touch up and down. Great for usability, and the fact that all 4 have fairly sensitive pinch-protection is an added bonus, especially for the kids (and perhaps pets too).

It’s evident that several components of the interiors have been picked out of the Laura parts bin. The Yeti and Laura share the same platform after all. The 6.5” touch screen on the Elegance is nice to use, and the visuals and UI are well refined. We’d give the 8-speaker OEM audio system an 8.5/10 rating. The bass is tight and honestly the sound quality is at a level where most people won’t feel the need to upgrade. Audio sources include an in-dash 6 CD changer, a SD card reader and an AUX-in for which you can even select the input voltage. However, in these plug-and-play times, the missing USB input is noticed by all! Bluetooth too is missing by default, as you need to buy an add-on module to enjoy it as a feature.

Dual zone climate control works well at the front, with the AC doing a splendid job in the hot afternoon sun. Rear AC vents do a good job too, even when the fan-speed is set fairly low. However, there is no independent temperature, fan-speed or flow volume control for the rear passengers.

Taking a look at the sculpted seats of the rear bench (about 18” wide each), you’d think that they were designed for 15 yr olds, however, once you get in they do not constrict you in any way. This isn’t a plush sofa-like rear seat, but similar to the front, they provide good support. The left and right seats slide fore and aft, and the seat backs recline individually for all three places, ranging from a fairly upright position to a lazier seat back angle (pictured later). The middle seat also flips forward to reveal a large arm-rest with cup holders, however, the elbow area is too low to provide any real support. Add to that, the cushioned fore-arm pads are fairly small – leaving you exposed to the surrounding hard black plastic from the seat-back.

Despite the Yeti’s small appearance, the interior space has been used intelligently, and legroom is on par with the more spacious sedans in the C-segment. In fact it might even offer you a little more since there is a lot of room for your feet to slide under the front seats (upto an 8” high gap when the seats are at their highest position). Ingress is very easy, since the height of the bench means you just have to drop a few inches to get seated. However, sliding across from one side of the bench to the other is a problem since the front armrest console + rear AC vents intrude hugely into the middle passenger's leg-room. So much so that the center passenger has to straddle the console and transmission tunnel when seated. This in itself makes the Yeti more suitable for 4 rather than 5.

The Yeti has a few tricks when it comes to versatile storage space - varioflex seating as Skoda terms it. The boot in default form is a decent 415 Liters and the three rear seat backs can flip forward individually, creating a relatively flat extension of the boot. Furthermore, the entire row of collapsed seats can flip forward, towards the front seat-back – and if that is not enough, they can be removed entirely (a fairly straightforward one man job). With the rear seats removed, the original storage capacity is quadrupled, to 1665 Liters of space. If you remove just the center seat, the side seats can both slide a little closer towards the center, giving the rear bench more of a “captain seats” feel.

If you’re considering the lower Ambiente variant, note that the side and curtain airbags, climate control, the large touch screen display, 6-CD changer, steering mounted controls, auto-dimming mirrors, front parking sensors, cornering fog-lights and a few MFD settings will all be absent.

If you’re a feature freak, the top variant's absence of electrically folding external mirrors, electric seats, auto-on headlights and USB input might be missed by you. However, none of these are really deal breakers for a car priced like the Yeti. Dippy has a good point in mentioning that perhaps we'll see some of these + Xenons and a sunroof on a Yeti L&K version in the future.

Well sculpted seats with great lateral support

Adjustable seat height and lumbar support for both front seats

The steering is great to hold and the rich leather has a feel good factor

The dead pedal exists, though its just about adequate in terms of size and space

The 6.5" touch screen and in-dash 6-CD changer above the AC controls

A neat integration is that any changes you make to the AC settings are shown briefly on the large screen too

The parking system shows 4 zones on each end, with indicator bars going from blue to orange based on the distance of an object

You can turn off the parking guide, activate the off-road mode and turn ESP off

The slick shifting 6-speed has reverse in the top left position. Push down on the lever to engage

The center console houses a 12v socket, door lock/unlock button, undersized triple cup-holders and a cooled storage bin under the armrest. You'll find an Aux input and shelf for your mp3 player inside the armrest

Not only can the arm-rest slide back and forwards, it can be locked at a raised position for better elbow support
Pull the black loop upwards to enable cooling in the storage bin via the rear AC duct

The boreal wood trim on the Elegance is quite dull. The Ambiente might just get the better deal here with its silver alloy finish

Start up the turbocharged 2 Liter common rail direct injection engine, and you hear it come to life from inside the cabin. There is absolutely no clatter heard or vibrations felt even at idle, though the coarse hum of the diesel is very evident. Don’t expect a silent cabin even when driving at low RPMs. There is scope for improvement when it comes to keeping out the drone of the engine.

Slot the 6-speed box into 1st, tap the gas and start off – wait. What? You just stalled! Yep, it’s a fact. Each of the 4 BHPians present at the Yeti testdrive (embarrassingly) stalled the Yeti several times. Unlike the diesels you’re used to, you need to ignore the audible feedback of the engine revving and plant a solid foot on the accelerator before releasing the clutch. The CR engine doesn’t have the power below 1000rpm to lug the car along and perhaps a light flywheel further adds to this predicament when starting off. On international forums I’ve read Yeti owners proudly proclaiming (after about 5000 miles of ownership) “…now I only stall about once a week!”. Luckily, the lack of crank-protection makes it easy to fire up the engine once again.

Once you get off the mark, the minimal turbo-lag is a non-issue, and past 1300 rpm she pulls ahead, with the real surge of torque being felt past 2100 rpm. This is one of the most rev-happy diesels you’ll find in India today (hence the assumption of light flywheel). The needle jumps around the rev-meter with ease. 140 bhp comes up at 4200 rpm, with the redline marked at 5000 rpm. Push harder and she will pull till 5200, but the engine will be making such a racket that you wont want to go any further. 320 N-m of torque is available from 1750 – 2500 rpm, making darting around and closing gaps in traffic a real pleasure.

The light electric power steering further ads to the in-city driveability and will please the majority. It doesn’t provide much feedback at all, but it is direct, and turn-in is sharp and eager enough to keep even the enthusiastic drivers happy. AWD grip levels are great, handling is nimble and the planted stance and power on tap will have you punching through sparse traffic. The brakes are very effective and don’t make any fuss at all, though at highway speeds the lack of brake feedback conveyed to the driver can be a touch scary at the climax of any late braking maneuver. The last inch of pedal travel remains slightly spongy instead of firming up, and you just have to trust the brakes to do their job.

The gearshift is smooth and slick, however the fact that 1st, 3rd, and 5th are all fairly close together may sometimes slot you into the wrong gear. The MID has a gear-shift indicator which tells you to hold the gear, upshift or downshift. If you rev the oil-burner high enough, it will even suggest a double upshift on occasion. The clutch is light, though not quite feather-light and the C-pedal is the only place where you can feel a vibration from the drivetrain. Once again, the missing DSG would really have been the cherry on top of this offering.

Ride quality is on the firmer side, especially felt at lower speeds on our typically ill-kept city roads. It’s not uncomfortable over most conditions, yet at 30 kph, it fails to cushion out the sharper bumps. Of course, the really large potholes will announce themselves with a distinct thud. The rear passengers will feel this tautness to a greater degree. At higher speeds, the ride quality significantly improves. Though I wouldn’t go as far as calling the ride well cushioned, any vertical movement is well controlled – just like most euro sedans. Body roll too is well controlled, with the Yeti driving more like a sedan. The handling is leagues ahead of the SUVs and the only noticeable minor hiccup is that the car tends to hop sideways a little when hard cornering on an undulating surface, due to the firm suspension. At speed, wind noise is well controlled, tyre noise is average and the coarse hum of the engine calls out above them. Cruising on the expressway at 100 kph in 6th gear, high speed stability is excellent and the engine is lazily ticking over at a mere 1,800 rpm. This makes for a very relaxed drive and, not to mention, maximises fuel tank range too.

For city pottering, 3rd gear is a vital tool, pulling from 20km/h at 1000rpm onwards. The turning circle of 10m equals or betters most C-segmenters. Hill starts are aided by the “drive-off assistant” which holds the brake for roughly a second to prevent the car from rolling backwards when it detects an incline start. Rear visibility is decent, and despite the chunky D-pillars, parking is easily managed thanks to the very accurate parking sensors.

Gear down-shift indicator on the top right of the MID. It shows a dot when you should hold the gear

Battery cover

The 4x4 System

The Yeti touts its 4x4 ability, and the fact is that any vehicle’s off-road abilities greatly increase when limited slip 4x4 comes in. The 180mm ground clearance isn’t much, but the 4x4 will greatly increase the chances of you taking it up that rocky road to your under-construction getaway home, or on that bit of farm land you want to explore. On our test, we did just that. With some careful driving, it never bottomed out, and occasional tire-slip was brought into check quickly by the electronics. The only issue that raised its ugly head once again was the lack of extreme low-end torque (and no low-ratio box) – meaning a lot of clutch slipping in a few demanding situations. That raw-egg smell? It’s the sign of an overworked clutch. Stay within its limits and it will take you where a sedan or MUV never could, but don’t think that it can do everything a 4x4 SUV can.

The Elegance has a host of tricks specific to the 4x4 system, such as Hill Descent Control, Drive-off Assistant, Off-road ABS, ASR & TCS, and Electronic Differential Lock. The Ambiente gets none of these electronic aids, but shares the same 4x4 mechanicals. Both versions typically put 90-95% of their power towards the front wheels when on the black-top, but can pump the same amount of torque to the rear when the conditions demand it.

Steep climbs on uneven roads like this would give sedans a hard time but the Yeti can handle it

The 4x4 gives you the chance to explore a little further than any 2wd vehicle, but don't assume it can do what a proper 4x4 SUV can

• The Yeti is best suited to those who are self-driven. Or a split between being self & chauffeur-driven. But if you are chauffeur-driven 100% of the time, there are better options.

• The doors auto-lock at speed (icon on the button lights up orange when engaged), but don’t unlock when the drivers door is opened from the inside. You have to manually press the unlock button on the center console to let people in. Irritating if you have to keep opening other doors (eg. make frequent stops to pick up people, give your car to the valet often, or have young kids at the back that need constant attention)! Conversely, its also a good safety feature to have. Stepping out of the car for a second at a petrol pump or roadside stop will not unlock all the other doors, and therefore keep your in-car valuables safer.

• No mudflap for the front wheels (even though the rear gets 'em). This results in a fair deal of mud being kicked up, especially onto the flared rear wheel-arches.

• When the headlamp switch is on and the car is turned off, the lights go off entirely. This is great for the forgetful drivers. If the headlamp switch is on the pilot light position and the car is turned off, the pilot lights remain on.

• The high-beams are powerful and successfully made most cars give us way on the expressway at dusk. It’s also in a situation like this that the auto-dimming mirrors proved especially useful! (They have a blue-ish green tint to them when dimmed).

• The cornering function with the front fog lights turns them on individually depending on the direction in which you steer.

• Front passenger window switch is a bit of a reach. Others are fine. Rear windows only go about 3/4th of the way down.

• In the MFD settings, you can choose what items you’d like to have shown when cycling through the MFD. You can also toggle the door open warning, window open warning, mirror adjustment (individual / both together), DRLs, daylight saving time, winter tyre speedo correction (+10/-10km), units for temperature & fuel consumption, PDC’s volume front/rear & beep frequency. The MFD can also show what audio is playing. Pretty cool.

• A MID setting can even turn on a feature that automatically rolls up the windows if the car is locked with the windows open and it begins to rain!

• Blowing the horn requires some thumbwork to reach the center pad. A very noticeable clicking sound is heard in the cabin everytime the horn is blown. Nice sounding horn though.

• You have to press the remote unlock button twice to unlock all doors. Boot release button on the remote control can be useful too. A long press will roll windows up / down.

• Due to the sharp scoop on the LHS of the dash, and the recessed glovebox, the front passenger has plentiful knee room.

• When parking in a tight space, the beeping due to the front sensors when reversing, or vice-versa can sometimes mislead you. Also, when you turn off the parking guide system it turns on once again as soon as you re-engage reverse.

• There’s a small hump under each of the front seats, which rear seat passengers can comfortably rest their feet on.

• Both front sun visors have vanity mirrors. Vanity lights are conspicuous by their absence.

• If you try to lug the engine even when decelerating, it’ll stall. Driving in a high gear at low rpm angers the Yeti.

A big thanks to GTO, Dippy and Fireblader85 for helping with a large part of the points & images for this review.

@rehaan
a very well compiled review, was eagerly waiting for this one.
skoda seems to have got the pricing right for the yeti, now only if they can get their after sales act together.
for me it is one of those vehicles that provides a lot of versatility and has an attitude to it. though as you said the lack of body colored bumpers does look out of place now but still i feel it adds to its robust looks, makes it stand out.

Great review Rehaan. I liked the interiors and electonics better than the exteriors. 15L means TATA Aria/Captiva territory. It'll be nice to see how both compliment each other on the sales charts. The last point on the 'What you won't like' section could be a decisive factor between the two though. I like the plastic ticket holder as well.

Excellent review and awesome pictures!
Looks like Skoda has got themselves a winner here. The Yeti looks good, great level of attention to detail and over all I would say it is a bang for the buck. The Yeti would definitely lure some of the potential Scorpio / Safari buyers who are ready to shell out more for something better. Hope Skoda improves it after sales service, because that is the only major negative thing I see in the Yeti !

Nice review (as usual) and a car quite handsomely kitted up.
But the exterior styling looks like a model which is 3-4 years old. Especially the rear end.
Are the mirrors electronically retractable? What is the consumption unit? ( L / H ??)
Also - IMO the 4x4 badging on the gear lever is kind of a overkill on the showbiz front.

Great review Rehaan. The Yeti seems to be a very practical alternative to the other cars at the same price bracket and even soft roaders like CR-V and Captiva. All the technology and gizmos are all good but what impresses is the extra bits like 3-point seat belts for the rear middle passenger, adjustable arm rests, that thread to hold magazines, the very practical boot and plenty of storage spaces. The only fly in the ointment is Skoda's aftersales. IMO the Yeti is just about the right size for urban commuters and looks fresh unlike any other car. Good work Skoda !!